Detachable support



June 3, 1930. J, M McGlNLEY I 1,760,912

DETACHABLE SUPPORT "original Filedsept. soJ 1924 A T TOR/VE Y ,Patented ,lune 3, 1930 UNITED STATESI PATENT.,A OFFICE JAMES M. MCGINLEY, F FORT WORTH, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND AS- SIGNMENTS, OF TWENTY-SEVEN AND ONE-HALF PER CENT TO, W. L. MCGINLEY, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, AND SEVENTY-TWO AND ONE-HALF PER CEN T T0 TRAY SERVICE COMPANY, OF DALLAS, TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS DETACHABLE SUPPORT HEISSUED Application led September 30, 1924, Serial No. 740,760. Renewed October 23, 1929.

Myl invention relates to detachable supports, and more especially to detachable supporting devices which may serve to receive various articles on its upper surface, and be attached readily to a substantially vertical plate at its upper edge, Whether the platelike member be flat or slightly curved, and at the same time may be vcollapsed or folded into small space for storage when it is not D needed.

It is an object of my improved support that it may be supported solely upon a vertical frame or plate, there being no supporting legs to rest on adjacent surfaces which are` 5 llkely to have an uneven character and thus result in an uncertain face for the articles desired to be placed thereon, andwhich are likely to unnecessarily obstruct the vicinity of the device. My device on the contrary rests all its weight and that of the articles placed thereon, upon the vertical Wall or l plate to which it is attached.

A further object of my improved device is to provide a horizontal .plate or shelf-like support with parts connected therewith for resting upon the upper edge of a vertical plate or wall and also a brace connected underneath said supporting plate and bearing laterally against the side face of said Wall to more positively hold the plate in proper horizontal position while the device is attached. The said brace is adjustable to fit A vertical Walls or plates of different thickness, or for Walls which may be slightly curved,

as the doors of some automobiles. This brace member is also collapsible for foldingY into position parallel with a partI of said device when it is desired to store the unitary device in a. minimum amount of space. -l

It is a further ob `ect of my improvement that when in -its collapsed arrangement, the entire article serves well as a shallow receptacle o1' tray having short supporting legs for positioning the same on a flat surface,

as upon a table, chair or a horizontal surface of the' ground or the floor of a vehicle.

Further, it is a great advantage of my improved device that either in its collapsed or )pen position, the parts are held in bound engagem'ent with adjacent parts so that there can result no rattling or loose and uncertain movement of the device. These are all of great value in using the article, and especially inasmuch as no screws or other separate fasteners are required for assembling or detaching the same, the rearrangement of .the device in supporting-position or for storing merely requiring certain. relative movements of parts to attain the desired result. No means are required to hold the parts in connected arrangement either, as none of the parts are detachable from theothers, though the entire device is detachable` from the stationary Wall supportingit. Also, it is clear that when collapsed, the unitary device may be readily supported upon a flat surface, whenthe non-rattlingfeature will be especiallyl appreciated.

With these and other objects of my inven tion contemplated in this disclosure, I have set forth the same in the appended claims, describedI it in detailin the specification hereunto attached and illustrated it in the l ignates broadly a suitable flat receptacle, such as a tra)T or other similar flattened article here shown as provided with a. border flange,

though thisis immaterial so far as the supporting mechanism is concerned. Two metallic strips 11 are attached to the bottom of `10 by' rivets 25, each strip being adjacent the end of the bottom and preferably -in parallelism with each other. Between these is a bar'14 having an end bent for attachment to the bottomand^the other end bent obliquely at 26 and projecting out beyond the receptacle to bear against he liange thereof to Y which it is riveted. The intermediate part of the bar 14 is appreciably spaced from the bottom for a reason explained later. At the joint where the bar is bent down for con- 'nection to the bottom of the receptacle,

rear ends of the plates 11 are bent obliquely i away from 10 at 27 and then in parallelism with the bottom plate and then down at right angles to 10, as shown in the drawings at 12. This results in two angle ends which may serve as hook parts to rest upon the edge of "a vertical support shown-in the `drawings x Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

as a plate or wall 22. The ends 12 are covered with a rubber composition 20 to avoid the rattling of parts when attaching the ends on the support, and serving also to cling more or less to such support, an advantage in use.

These angle ends 12 serve to support the rear end of the receptacle 10 on the wall 22, but the front portion must be supported on the same member 22 which may be a flat, vertical plate such as the back of a chair, or may be the door of an automobile, as will be explained in the operation of the device. For the latter purpose, a brace member 13 is provided which may be positioned in parallel relation withthe bottom 10 for storage, or opened out for bracing function, as shown in Fig. 1. The stored pbsition is shown in This brace member 13 comprises a main flat sheet metal bar having one end curved and bearing thereon a pad or cushion member 15 y for easily contacting the wall 22, the pad being secured to the bar by suitable rivet as 28. This end of the brace is slightly bent from the axis of the main bar so that the end will be substantially parallel with the wall 22, though the bar is appreciably inclined, as shown in Fig. 1. Throughout the length ofthe brace member, side flanges 30 are bent in parallelism to afford greater bracing strength and to enable them to serve as enclosing wings for the bar 14 upon which the brace is mounted in permanent relation 4in whatever position it may assume for bracing or in storage.

These `flanges 3() have spaced lips 16and 17 integral therewith, the lips 16 completing the enclosure of the b ar 14 when the brace is `collapsed, andthe lips 17 separated a smaller distance than` that between 16, as shown in Fig. 3.. The latter will permit the narrow portion 29 to slide between them, but the space between-the lips 17 is Vtoo narrow to permit such separation, so that the brace 13 must remain connected to the bar 14 inall relations.l A

A further andvery important feature of my improved construction consists in the fact that the main flat portion'of the brace 13 extends beyond the flanges 30, while at the other end of the brace said portion ends quite a little short of the lips 17. This structure provides for a lever action between the edge 23 of the main portion of the brace, and the inner edges 24 of the lips 17. These points 23 and 24 grip the bar 14when the lips 16 have been detached from the bar and the brace has been swung down to the actuating position shown in Fig. 1. It is evident that this arrangement permits an adjustment of the brace along the bar 14 when the clamping action of lsaid points is released as by manual operation thereof by grasping the toe 21 which has been cut out of the brace plate for the purpose. `It is also evident that when the weight of the receptacle-rests in part on said brace 13, the strain or stress of the parts 23 and 24 on the bar will grip the latter suiiicient to avoid slipping'of the parts during bracing action. Such adjustment permits use of the same device on vertical plates of different thickness and on plates'of slightly diHerent inclination or ofcurved surfaces, as in the doors of automobiles.

Back of the edge 23 the main portion of the brace has a protuberance 19 punched inward, as shown very clearly in Fig. 2. This serves by positive contact with the bar 14 to hold the brace member against movement that would result ina rattling noise when the parts are collapsed. As seen in Figs.. 2 and 3, the protuberance 19, with the forward and rear edges of the lips 16, form three contact points of engagement between 13 and 14 which tighten the latter together by slight bending action of 14 and thus quite positively prevent rattling when in the relative position shown in these views.

' The forward ends of the bars 11 are-bent 'straight downward to form suitable shortl legs 31 for supporting the tray or other receptaclewhen the latter is to rest on a level surface, as on a table or chair seat. In such case, the four legs 12 .and 31 serve a very usefulpurpose in holding the receptacle 10 spaced above a horizontal foundation, since if heated dishes or foods are to'be carried in the tray, the legs will not conduct heat to the surface below. v

In the above description, the terms downward and upward, and vertical and hori- Zontal are used for yconvenience of decription only, and are not intended to be con-v strued as positive limitations of the structure disclosed. They serve their purpose though in describing the relative positions of the receptacle and the permanent Asupport there 23 of the main' platev and the rear edges 24 of the lips 17, toward the .receptacle while the bar is extended farto the rear until the parts 13 and 14 are nearly in parallelism, when the part 13 is forced forwardly with the lips 16 in engagement above the bar 14, as far as it will go. In this final collapsed position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, inparticular,

of the device, the legs' l2 and 31 will servewell as means for holding the receptacle spaced from ahorizontal surface, as well as certain of them being useful for manual engagement in carrying the device. When it is to be used to support various articles upon the upper edge of a vertical plate or wall not too great in thickness, as the door of an automobile, the back of a chair, or any vertical edge, the rear end of the bar 13 is disengaged from the bar 14 by sliding it rearwardly of the latter until the parts 16 are clear of the bar, the narrow 'point 29 `permitting this movement readily, and the padded end, is swung out to the inclined position shown in Fig. 1. The eye between 23 and 24. will permit adjustment of the lbar 13 along the bar 14 untilthe proper point is reached, when the receptacle will be supported upon the upper edge of the plate 22 by the legs or hooks 12 and braced by the pad 15 of the ba-r 13 contacting the plate at a lower point. The thicker the plate 22, the farther forward will the bar 13 be adjusted, as will be evident.

My improved support is therefore adjustable for detachably engaging a vertical foundation, and may be collapsed to a size requiring hardly no more room for storing than the receptacle alone would without the brace member. It provides a positive engagement with the support when it is needed,

but may readily be disengaged therefrom when no longer required. It is noiseless when in use or collapsed, and furnishing a convenient I purpose where a vertical dation is to be had.

Having described my improvement and its manner of operation, lwhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l 1. The combination ofa receptacle having a substantially flat bottom and means for holding the same detachably-above and upon the upperedge of a vertical `support comor horizontal founprising, spaced bars rigidly secured tothe bottom surface of the receptacle andhaving downwardly-bent ends which are vof equal length so that they may support the receptaclesubstantially horizontally when detached from the vertical support, and the bent ends of bars adjacent the same edges of the receptacle `serving as hooks to engage the said upper edge 1n overhanging relation, an

flatand level surface for any.

engaging bar secured to the said bottoni surface with' a portion spaced therefrom, and rigid brace means having a free portlon for.

engaging the side wall of saidy support and an eye spaced from said free portion for adj ustably engaging the said spaced portion of the engaging bar and movable thereon to vary the inclination of the brace means relative to the vertical support whereby the same receptacle and holding means may be used with .vertical supports of different thickness.

2. The combination of a flat receptacle having spaced hooks secured permanently toits lunder surface for engaging detachably the edge of a vertical support, an engaging bar secured to said receptacle and a brace member comprising, an elongated flanged sheet metal plate, the flanges being bent-up from the sides of the plate and lextending beyond the plate at one end and overhanging lips integral with the flanges at the latter e'nd thus forming an eye to receive therein saidl bar, the lips being spaced apart too little to permit disengagement from the bar,

.but the edge of the plate and the rear edges of the lips serving as engaging points for the faces of the bar to hold the brace at a proper inclination whereby the' contact of the brace with the support will hold the receptacle in position at an angle to the support.

3. The combination of a receptacle having flat bottom and attaching means adjacent one edge thereof for overhanging engagement with the upper edge of a vertical support, an engaging member secured to the under surface of lsaid receptacle and having a portion spaced therefrom, and a rigid brace bar having an eye portion adjacent one of its ends for engaging said spaced portion for adjustment thereon, so that the brace bar may be moved on said spaced portion toward and V from said support, and means thereon for engaging said spaced portion in folded relation to close the parts when the receptacle is detachel from the support.

4. The combination of a receptacle having elongated and spaced attaching bars secured to the underside thereof andv overhanging ends to engage the upper edge of a verticalv support, an engaging .bar having its ends secured to the receptaclef with its interme- `diatev portion spaced therefrom, and a brace engaging means on the under side thereof, and a brace member having an eye 1n one end for adjustably connecting with said engaging means and means at its opposite end for contacting a vertical support upon which the receptacle rests'detachably, means intermediate the ends for engaging said engagingmeans to hold the member against the engaging means for packing, and a protuberance on said brace member just within the eyel for contacting the engaging means to'hold the brace member against movement of the partsg'a'nd thereby avoid unnecessary rattling signature.

JAMES M. MCGINLEY.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my 

